[tie one on]

Spring is approaching quickly & I have a very simple question to pose to anyone who would care to answer with their thoughts.

If you had a choice to drfit your favorite river, or wade your way thru which would you prefer ? I know that drifting will cover much more territory, but I've always loved that feel of the water around me.

I recently purchased a Hyde drift boat & am aching to get it wet & cover way more river than ever before. I'm sure for me that I will be parking my boat, wading an area & then hop back in to find another spot.

What are your thoughts ? Drift or Wade ???

Tie One On

[Piscator]

I like to wade although I have never had the chance to do a drift boat fishing as of yet. I hope to change that maybe this summer. But all in all, I like to wade to feel like I'm part of the whole scheme of the environment that I'm in. That way, I'm one with the fish, so to speak.

Thanks,
Terry

[Frank Whiton]

Hi tie one on,

You have the best of both worlds. You can float and cover a lot of water and you can stop and wade any water that tickles your fancy. When you reach my age you will find yourself floating more than wading. I fish alone and have to be very careful what type of water I wade. With an anchor you can stop and fish a lot of wadable water. My Kick boat serves me well for fishing bigger water. I think you live in Michigan and a lot of your rivers have many dead falls that make it tricky wading.

[natureday]

I love being apart of the water and fly fish it is very fun. But there is something about floating. Also I can stay out longer if I am in a boat
Anna

[Colorado Cajun]

Like Frank said, you have the best of both worlds. All you need to do is find a buddy who knows how to roe and then you will enjoy your boat more if you have someone to take turns with.

[zerolimit]

the hiking in and out along with the wading is a big part of the experience for me but it wouldn't deter me from floating if I had a boat (and I would love one).

[ffffg]

Seems like a simple question but it definitly isnt.. Heres some comments. Once i get out of the sight of the parking lot when drifing I let out a big sigh and all my cares simply melt away.. There is an unusual calm about drifting that i never get when wading.. This calm can easily be upset by the dangers of water that sometimes become apparent in an instant, wading or drifting.... Once youve drifted the water you want to fish for a seasson or two, you will be able to easily drive to the good spots (sometimes if not too remote) and wade without a boat and do without all the trouble of launching, shutteling and etc... At any rate your about to find out, and its all good...dave..

[Yoffione]

Good question, and as you can tell from the other posts, it depends. I much prefer to use a drift boat or pontoon to get down the rivers. On the rivers in my area the places you can get to by just wading are the most crowded. I fish ott of the boat alot, but it is usually just till we get to the next hole and then we get out and wade.

Colorado cajun brought up a good point about finding partners that can row a boat. It is a drag to row your buddies all day. I am fortunate that all of my buddies that I fish with can now row decently. A couple of them took a little prodding, but they are getting better. I also think you will find yourself fishing out of the boat more. It is a great way to see the fish. Good luck!

[denalifishy]

We use a raft and love it. The model we have behaves much like a drift boat but also can handle big whitewater just in case. I did a drift boat trip last year and was very impressed with the handling and stability for fishing though. Now I want one of those too.

I would agree with what everyone has said. Boats are great since floating allows you to get to holes that are great and nobody is fishing there. But, wading is great too, especially when you can hike and get away from the combat zones. Wading is simple and avoids the loading, shuttling and other boating related headaches.

They compliment each other very well. Not to mention, boating begins its own additiction much like fly fishing. One more way to spend money.

[Krash7172]

I followed this thread and was nearly 100% for boat a few days ago. New to fly fishing, I had my first outting yesterday with my fly rod and kayak. I've fished for years with spinning gear from a kayak. It was a humbling experience. I had not been in my kayak in over 6 mo.

I am still going to vote for boat but unless the conditions are good and you have experience, it can be a challenge to say the least. Many more variables added to the equation than when stationary.